By Philip Schweier
Blackhawk is
based on a comic book that originated during WW II. Originally, he was the
leader of a small army fighting against the Axis. As the series progressed, the
army was whittled down to a small squadron comprised of representatives of
countries occupied by Nazi forces.
Part of the appeal of Blackhawk
at the time was that he and his team were all fighter pilots. But the aerial
action in the serial is somewhat token, and the bulk of the excitement takes place
on the ground, and usually immediately following a rain storm. I’ve never seen
so many puddles on film before.
The use of industrial settings and rural roads is perhaps a
cost-cutting measure, avoiding the expense of filming permits in town. Serials
had grown progressively cheaper since their heyday. Bigger budget fare such as
1936’s Flash Gordon had been replaced by the cheapest of the cheap. Each of the
bad guys’ various hideouts are identical, to confuse their various captives as
to their location. Riiiggghht.
At the serial opens, Blackhawk (Kirk Alyn) and his team are
resting comfortably stateside, working with the U.S. government. That’s when
Laska (Carol Forman) and her comrades arrive, hoping to lure one of the
Blackhawks, Stanislaus (Rick Vallin), back to his native country, which is now
under the heel of communism. Stan won’t have it, so Laska arranges to have him
kidnapped and replaced with his evil twin, Boris.
Infiltrating the Blackhawk organization, Boris wreaks havoc
until the other Blackhawks suss him out and he pays the penalty for failure.
Ramrodding Laska’s organization is the mysterious Leader, whom we see only from
behind as he sits in his study plotting to destroy OUR America.
After a few chapters of resolving the Stan/Boris problem,
Blackhawk is assigned to protect Dr. Rolph, who has created a death ray. The
scientist has fashioned it into a device that looks remarkably like a dog
wearing a surgical cone. Rolph is played by William Fawcett, who played another
scientific genius in Batman & Robin
(1949). Naturally, Blackhawk, et al. prevent the device from falling into
communist hands.
But when element X comes into play, we are introduced to Mr.
Case, whose Boston accent gives him away as the Leader. Supposedly, element X,
as a fuel source, can provide an astounding amount of power. Laska and her
cohorts want it, even if Mr. Case must die for them to get it.
Blackhawk is
proof that by 1952, the bloom was off the rose for serials. Cliffhangers had
pretty much exhausted the repertoire of death traps for heroes to sidestep, and
television had become the new home for heroes such as Dick Tracy, the Lone
Ranger and Superman.
The production reunited Alyn and Forman, who had squared off
against one another in Superman
(1948). Though Superman had proven
more bankable, Alyn does better as Blackhawk,
not having to wear the cape and attempt super-feats via cheap special effects.
Forman is also a bit more believable as a fellow traveler than as the
villainess Spider Woman. Despite all the Blackhawks being European, none of
them have accents, other than the unfortunate Weaver Levy, who plays Chop Chop,
and is relegated to serving as the Blackhawk’s Chinese cook/mascot.
Out of idle curiosity, I watched the serial on YouTube one
Sunday when I had nothing better to do. If it’s available on DVD anywhere, I
wouldn’t recommend buying it, but watching it once for free just to get it over
with – well, that’s up to you.
1 comment:
Though I think we agree on most things serial, I'm of a different opinion on this one; I liked it quite a bit. Most of my negative feelings about 50's serials is that they feel like TV, and I think this one still feels like a serial, which is a bit like it tasting like ice cream...of which I've never found a bad one. I feel the same about radio shows; I've rarely heard a bad one! :) (I just stumbled onto the first show that I heard at age 9, btw, and after 38 years, I almost fainted!)
This is a good reminder for me to get this, if available!
Post a Comment